I experience buzzing noise when these conditions happen:
I’m recording audio from wired headphones microphone
The charger is plugged in to a wall socket, or a laptop that is charging
Does anybody else experience this problem? Did they have it fixed for you?
I tried different brands of headphones and chargers. I tried different sockets in different buildings.
The buzzing occurs with every recording app (phone calls, camera, audio recording etc.).
The buzzing does NOT occur when I’m charging the FP from a powerbank or anything that is not connected to the grid.
So having changed all the accessories probably also include having tried with a different usb-c cable?
It could just be a bad connection between modules for proper grounding, but also another cause. Maybe your headphone socket isn’t contacting properly, the last Fairphone 2 had such issues mainly related to the mechanical case fitting.
So there is no noise with Bluetooth headsets?
I tend to believe it’s rather phone internal related.
Have you also tried when in flight mode?
I do not own one, but everything seems to hint it’s a grounding issue.
Yes, the problem persists.
The warranty is still valid. They made me send it to Cordon Electronics twice, who replaced both the top and the bottom module (and they sent it back without even testing it first).
They may have tested it but found no problem, you don’t know they didn’t test it unless they said so ???
My example is I live off grid, in a field with no main electricity within 100 yards of my caravan, yet I get a 50c/s hum on audio equipment when I am powering a tablet from the same 12v battery as the amplifier.
There are a few possibilities
a) the aluminium caravan picks up a 50Hz signal and collects it then trnasfers it to a sensitive part of my equipment.
b) the same signal could come from an earth
but in each of the above no equipment is grounded or connected to the caravan (as an antenna) which leads me the third idea that there is a mismatch between some oscillations in both the tablet and the amplifier and I have to change one of them or not have them both connected to the same 12v battery supply.
There are things I could do, but can’t be bothered.
That’s a fascinating case, thank you for your reply.
According to the courier they received it and shipped it back within few working hours. I assumed that’s barely the time to change the modules.
I also sent videos with the buzzing, as an example.
In any case I experienced the problem in different buildings across Italy, and I never had this problem with other phones.
If it was the grid’s fault, all FP3 in Italy would have the same problem, right?
I ruled out the headphones, cause I tried different models of different brands and they all buzzed.
Edit:
In any case, I don’t have the resources to perform a scientific test, and it is not up to me either. I was hoping the problem was known to somebody, or at least that Cordon Electronics would perform such tests.
It may be worth asking Fairphone to get detail of the tests Cordon did, I mean not just the names of the tests but actual records, maybe Fairphone are being ripped off ??
Do you have anyone nearby with another Fairphone you can compare, maybe a fairphoneangel ??
Well a 50Hz hum and clear buzzing can be of a quite different frequency and must not necessarily have the same source. @wereGuy
What’s your guess, does it rather sound like a typical 50Hz hum or is it of different type (frequency)?
Some can make a clear difference out. Electromagnetic susceptibility is a difficult field to operate in when in development to meet certification requirements. Anyway no hum or buzz should be audible when being connected to the grid.
Is this since day 1 as you recorded first time?
Just for testing (remembering FP2 related troubles), could it be the plug does not fully insert?
After all the device is within warranty and you cannot confirm the repair center fixed the customers problem (again). This puts a bad light on the manufacturer. Afaik (here) in Germany after (two) unsucessful tries for fixing a product within warranty period it may be fully replaced. You have evidence that there is something wrong.
I don’t agree here, because:
and also tried different other conditions.
Is there any official “compatibility list” for accessories like headphones/headsets etc. working with FP3(+), I guess not.
So it’s fully up to the manufacturer/repair center to get the device into a fully working condition unless it’s somewhere stated that improper/incompatible equipment is being used.
Maybe go into stock condition and try again with no sim card inserted, no sd card, no BT or WiFi active so this all can be excluded yielding any “noise”.
Another question relating your habit…do you un-/plug while audio actively is playing back?
Well, I once damages a computer sound card this way as I plugged into its aux socket while audio was playing back. So this peak blew the protecting multi-layer capacitor which resulted in hearing bus noise, but only when recording. Playback is still ok.
Actually these 2,5mm/3,5mm/6,3mm audio connections are very old in design and from back in this time not securely designed for hotplug. Therefore audio professionals use “XLR” plugs protecting their equipment.
Still it’s another curious thought in my mind that this noise raises only when any kind of grounded charging device in being connected. FP2 had troubles with being hardly to not responding to touch input with some chargers.
Anyway after all that has been done getting back to Fairphone seems an option again.
I think I have done it. But they said they replaced all modules regarding audio.
Thank you, I will talk to the FP customer assistant, who seems very nice, but I don’t think he can do more than forward info to Cordon Electronics…
Apart from this small defect, the FP3 met all my expectations. However I don’t think like justifying FP because of the type of fair and sustainable business they try to run.
One of the marketing promises they made is that their products can be fully fixed and are designed to last as long as possible. The repairing service I received from Cordon Electronics doesn’t seem like a good start…
I do believe Fairphone has learned it’s lessons with the audio jack meanwhile.
As you reply there are differences which also were encountered with the FP2 for some users who couldn’t use their Apple compatible headset (mind 3,5mm 4-pin jack) or the ones which may have worked well with their previous Samsung device but differently with FP2. Results were different, sometimes audio worked but not the microphone in other cases left/right channels were swapped (Fairphone also had an initial issue about this specifically but could fix it by a software update).
Some users could use their headset but the control would not react as expected. So, yes there might be a bit of luck involved but I think a buzz should not occur according to these differences.
After what I could read up to now in this forum I tend to agree, which actually could hold me off from purchasing another device.
After all customer service and the repairs department of Fairphone had massive pressure in past times, so this surely was a sore spot they wanted to heal.
